The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-01-27

falls to understand, the central prins
ciple that rules in redemption. The
world studies the Christian to end out
why he should claim to be son Of God,
and as the best Christian shows little
nearness and likeness to the holy God,
the world soon gives It up as a mystery,
or discounts It as a fanatical prssump-
ton. And all because It Is studying
the wrong side of the question. We
may see why Pharoah's daughter should
adopt Moses, for he was doubtless as
beautiful as he was helpless, and made
thus double appeal to the heart of the
Princess. But we will study ragged
urchin in the gutter all in vain to find
a reason why cultured and beautiful
home should be opened for him. To
get at that we must study the hearts in
that home. And to understand the
adopting grace Of God we must study,
not the subjects Of it, but the author Of
it. The mystery will not be lessened
till we look at God. John says very
keenly, the world does not understand
the sons of God because it does not un-
derstand God.
But neither do the sons Of God them
selves know the full meaning of their
calling. They may be able to trace 1t
backward, but they can not trace It
forward. They may be able to say:
Gods love is the ultimate of our call
ing. They may fall down in adoring
wonder before that marvel of past
eternity. But how can they measure
the scope and reach of. that calling in
the futurep How can they realize what
will be the benefits of adoption as they
come out along the slow course of
Divine education and disciplineP
royal child in the nurses arms is in as
good condition to understand the in
heritance of royalty as is the child Of
God to measure the final sweep of Gods
adopting grace and love. 1t is but an
'infant crying in the night" 1t has
no language but cry, God is putting
it to school. 1t has hard time. It is
under severe schoolmasters that give
no hint Of the authority that employs
them. 1t is kept severely under mas
ters and governors. If it studies only
its surroundings it may well doubt its
calling. And against all such doubts
the love of God must be its guarantee.
We are far from home, and farther
still from likeness to our Father. We
often wonder whether we are at all
under His tuition and whether the
forces that SO jostle us about have any
Divine superintendence. But surely
somehow, somewhere, love will claim
its own, we will understand the mean
ing of discipline by and by. We will
know the reason for the long desert
journey, by and by. And amid all the
uncertainties of our experience here,
one final hope may well give us COM
fort and courage. The beginning is
merited love, but the end will be like
ness to our Father. ''When He shall
appear we shall be like Him." Then
adopted love will stand revealed in its
final consummation. Then the universe
will see that that which began in mar
velous love has been completed by
Transforming grace. The children at
last shall resemble the Father. Adop-
ton in this world often fails of its best
reward. The adopted child does not
get to be like the family that takes him
in. There is a degenerate inherited
spot somewhere that will not out. In
spite of all that training can do, that
spot betrays the difference between the
child and the family and discredits the
reality Of the relation. The calling has
given the surroundings, but it has no
Transforming power. But Gods calling
is efficacious. 1t makes the relation
ship real.
And at this point the test of adoption
energies. The dutiful son will want to
be like his father. He will not be AMI
bilious for his fathers fame or posses
sions-but he would like, at least, to be
as good man as his father is. Reader,
what is your highest Christian ambi-
ton? Is it to have your Fathers name.
so that the world may see you belong
to the family Of Heaven? Is it to get
out of poverty and toll and discipline,
to the security and wealth and glory of
the Fathers housep Is it to be one of
that white-robed throng that stand near
the Throne? Or have you higher and
more filial alma prnyerful desire to
be like your Father, and to accept
meekly and thankfully any price, any
furnace, any discipline that will form
you anew, to that Heavenly imagep
That is at once our best ambition and
the best evidence of our calling.-In-
terror. r f.,.,,,r #
CHOICE SELECTIONS.
Z AZ L. 4